Bad dog, No biscuit!
by TooMuchCaffine
Summary: Is Abby's beloved Jethro the sweet little pup she's convinced he is? What is he really capable of? What has he done and why? Takes place between seasons 5 and 6. Minor character death, some McAbby, later Tiva if you squint. Minor spoilers for 'Dog Tags'
1. Chapter 1

AN: Okay, I don't want a bunch of animal rights wackjobs PMing me about how I'm insensitive. I love animals, and I hate to see them abused. Its only the first chapter, chill out, and wait for the plot to unfold a bit more! What fun would it be reading it if I spilled everything upfront?

* * *

McGee ran yet another sheet of paper through his shredder. He'd spent the past hour trying to come up with a decent epilogue, but so far all he'd come up with was a headache. As he reread his work, it all seemed clichéd and bland. His first book had come naturally, all he did was write whatever was in his mind at the end of the day. But now that he'd developed a reputation, and people began to demand more of him, his creativity alluded him.

He heard a low growl coming from behind him. He looked over at his couch, where a large German Shepherd was staring down his shredder. Ever since Abby had convinced him, well forced him, to take in the ill-tempered canine, the dog had picked a fight with anything and everything that made a noise. His latest target was the shredder next to the desk. In case the papers weren't shredded quite enough, Jethro would always rummage through them, tearing the pieces to oblivion.

Jethro leaped down from the couch, and began to nuzzle McGee's thigh, "Oh, come on!" McGee tried to nudge him away, but the dog persistently pawed at his legs, "You just went out less than an hour ago, you've been fed, you're fine!"

The dog continued to whine, walking over to the door, and carrying his leash to his master. "_Smart dog._" McGee thought. He didn't really have time to take him out for the seemingly infinite number of walks the dog wanted.

Inspiration struck him. It was nearly four thirty in the morning, but he knew of someone who was willing to go out at this hour, just to get some exercise. He picked up the phone, which thankfully Jethro hadn't destroyed just yet, "Hey, Ziva? Can I ask you for a favor?"

* * *

Ziva knocked on the front door a short time later. He didn't want to think about the number of traffic violations she had committed, driving thirty miles in less than thirteen minutes. "Hello, McGee," she didn't wait for him to unlock the door, picking the lock faster than he could undo it himself, "I am glad to see that you have found a larger place. Your old apartment was barely livable. This is nice," she took in the room, a nice improvement over his old place, "Not bad, McGee. I cannot imagine it is cheap to live here."

"No, not really," he put the leash on Jethro, "Thanks for doing this, Ziva. I've got a deadline in three hours, and I'm getting nowhere fast." he handed her the leash, connected to Jethro, who was running laps in anticipation, "I usually take him around through the park and past the cemetery on Fourteenth. The loop is about a mile and a half, but he can go longer."

"I would hope so," she snapped her fingers, making Jethro sit at her heels, "I normally run eight, but I doubt he could keep pace with me for long if he is only used to walking one mile!"

"No, he's let himself go," McGee chuckled a bit, "Abby's been feeding him junk food lately, he's started to get a bit chunky." he felt Jethro's side, taking a handful of fat, "Maybe a bit of exercise will do him good."

* * *

After a the first few blocks, Jethro was panting heavily and starting to lag behind. Ziva sighed, slowing down a bit to let the dog cool down a bit, "Pathetic!" she accused, knowing the dog couldn't understand her, "You are a Navy dog, you should be able to act like one!" Jethro sat down on the sidewalk, taking the opportunity to lick at its crotch, "Animals are disgusting!"She tugged on the leash a bit, causing Jethro to jump to attention.

They walked the next few blocks; she knew the animal wouldn't be able to run and still be able to make it home without collapsing. Once they'd made it a mile or so out, Jethro began to lag farther and farther behind. Ziva decided now was probably a good time to turn back, "Come along, we will head home now, and then you may rest."

Jethro finally quit walking altogether. He simply sat down in the middle of the intersection, half-way across the road. Thankfully it was early enough, there wasn't too much in the way of traffic, "What are you doing?!" she hissed at him, pulling on the leash, "Are you trying to end up like that?!" she gestured to some fresh roadkill on the side of the road, "Do you want to become flatmeat?" she knew that wasn't the right term, but it worked

Exasperated, she tried picking him up. She was a strong woman, but Jethro was a very large dog. He went deadweight in her arms, continuing to lie down in the street.

Running out of options, she rummaged through her pockets, finding an energy bar, "Do you want this? Yes?" she unwrapped it, throwing it across the street, "Go and get it!" still, Jethro didn't move

"Fine! I will leave you here!" she dropped the leash, and began to walk off. She hoped that after she got a short distance away, he would panic and follow her. She turned around to see if her plan had worked, and sure enough, Jethro was limbering along slowly, now safely on the sidewalk.

Well, better than nothing at least. He was finally out of harms way, and that was all she really cared about. Abby would kill her if anything happened to this dog.

She decided it was best to stop for the day. Figuring Jethro couldn't walk another mile in his condition, she called McGee, "Hello, McGee? Can you come and pick us up? Jethro is not exactly in the best of shape; he is about to collapse!"

"_Alright, I'll be right there. Where are you?" _he asked

"Out by the cemetery, across from the little diner." she told him, "It is less than a mile from where you are."

"_Okay, I'm coming."_

Sighing, she sat down next to the dog on the corner, "So much for running the fat off of you," she pinched gently at the dog's gut, taking a handful of fat, "Look at all of this!" she teased, rubbing at his stomach, "There is more fat than dog!"

Jethro growled, low and angry. She immediately let go, knowing better than to irritate the dog any further, "What is wrong?" she looked around, trying to see if there was anything around that had upset him. Another dog, a cat, squirrel? There was nothing. The only thing he was growling at was Ziva

"Alright, I will not make fun of you," she promised, reaching over to stroke his head. Jethro lashed out, biting down hard on her wrist, "Ah! Get off of me!" she tried to shake him off, but he held onto her hand tighter, drawing blood

The pain was bearable; she'd been through worse. What was worse was the feeling of helplessness as the dog pulled on her arm, pulling her down the street. Digging in her heels, she pulled free of his grip, "Bad dog!" she gripped his choke chain, regaining control of the animal, "You do not bite people, Jethro!"

The dog thrashed and squirmed, trying to break Ziva's hold on his collar. Finally, the chain slipped over his head. Angrily, the dog lunged for her. Reaching for her belt, Ziva took out her knife, knowing she was running out of options. While she knew Abby would never forgive her, this dog was becoming more and more dangerous by the minute.

Jethro stood up on his hind legs, his full height nearly equal to hers. He placed his forepaws on her chest to get his balance, and he dove for her throat. Feeling the animal clamp down on her neck, that was the last straw. She buried her knife deep in Jethro's chest, causing him to loosen his choke hold instantly. She shoved him away, letting his body fall to the ground. Her hand clutched at her neck, now bleeding profusely.

A car door slammed a few feet away, an event that barely registered with her. She could feel herself losing consciousness quickly, her footsteps swaying and her vision blurring. She could faintly hear a voice calling out to her, "Ziva? Ziva!" before the world faded to black


	2. Chapter 2

McGee pulled over in front of the cemetery, his eyes drawn to the two still figures on the ground. The dog wasn't moving, and the knife plunged into its heart told him that he was already too late to save him. He prayed the same wasn't true for Ziva. He recognized the knife as one of hers. He didn't know how many she actually owned, but he guessed quite a few. He could hear Ziva's strangled cries for help from behind him.

He rushed to her side, helping her hold her throat. He didn't want to squeeze to tightly and choke the life out of her, but he had so stem the bleeding. She was coated in so much blood, both hers and Jethro's, that it was hard to tell where it was coming from. He eventually noticed that her mangled wrist was another source of the seemingly endless amount of it. He ripped his shirt off, wrapping it around her bleeding hand. Hearing her whimper in pain as he tied the shirt tighter, he pulled her against him, "Come on, Ziva? Can you hear me?"

She groaned a bit, nodding bleakly. She tried to speak, but found it nearly impossible to do so. Instead, she signed to McGee something she'd picked up from watching Gibbs, "_What took you so long?_"

McGee somehow found the courage to chuckle, "Sorry. I called paramedics from the car, when I saw you on the ground. They're coming." he took off his jacket, already ruined from the deep blood stains, and wrapped it around her. She was so much smaller than he was, he was able to wrap it around her slender form twice, "That should help keep you warm, at least for now. You're tough, you know that?" McGee rocked her in his arms, knowing this may be his last chance to say goodbye, "I always knew you'd fight to the last, Ziva." he tried not to let himself think like that; she wasn't dead yet. But there was so much blood... "Just hang on another minute, after that you can sleep." he kept poking and prodding her, trying to keep her awake.

Sirens blared as the ambulance pulled up to the curb beside them. The medics got out and came over quickly to assess the situation, "Any idea what happened here?" one of them asked

McGee looked over at the carnage, "I don't know," he told them honestly, "My guess is, the dog attacked her, and she killed it in self-defense." Ziva nodded, confirming his story, "Yeah, she said the dog was acting weird, and called for me to pick them up. I showed up a minute or two later, and found this."

The paramedics carefully took her from his arms, "We'll get her to Portsmouth; its closest. By the looks of it, she might not even make it that far."

"Damned if we're not gonna try though!" his partner strapped her to the gurney, "You coming with?"

* * *

Abby peered nervously into Autopsy, not really wanting to believe the reality in front of her. She stood quietly in the shadows for a moment until Ducky noticed her standing there and called her in, "Its alright, dear. You may come in, I'm nearly finished now."

She didn't know if she could bear to look. They'd lost so much in the past few years; Kate, Jenny, and now...poor thing. She resisted the urge to break down, seeing her beloved pet on the table as Ducky stitched him back up. "Oh, my God! What happened to him, Ducky?" her voice was barely above a whisper

"Abby, its alright to cry," he went to go wash up quickly before wrapping his arms around her, "I can't say for sure what caused him to behave like that, until I get the results back from some biopsies, we won't know for sure. What I can tell you is this," he picked up Ziva's knife, which he'd pulled from the dog's chest, "The knife went between his ribs, through his aorta, and into his left ventricle. His death was instantaneous and painless, dear. He didn't even feel it."

Abby sniffled, relieved that he didn't suffer, "I knew it. Ziva wouldn't do that, she's not that cruel; she made him go quick." if only Jethro was as merciful with her; the last she'd heard, Ziva was in surgery being treated for the deep wounds where the dog had torn into her throat

"There there, dear," he rocked her gently, "Any word from the hospital?"

"McGee says she's still in surgery," she sighed, "What's taking so long? Its been hours, why haven't they fixed it yet?"

"Well, why don't we go find out? I'll put Jethro away to rest. He's tired of talking. You don't need to stay with him dear, he'll be fine until we return." after Jethro was brought in, Abby refused to leave the dog's side until she knew the truth, "I'll just grab my coat, and we'll go and see how she's doing."

* * *

Tony and McGee lay sleeping in the deep bucket seats in the waiting room. Ziva had been in surgery for nearly ten hours already. Gibbs was the only one still awake; it was surmised that Gibbs no longer needed to sleep, due to the amount of caffeine coursing through his veins. Even though he hadn't touched a cup since arriving at the hospital, the amount of caffeine stored up in his system would probably last a while.

Gibbs found himself engulfed in a tight hug as Abby ran up to him, "Hey, Abbs. How ya holding up?"

"Okay." considering the circumstances, she wasn't doing too bad, "How's she doing?"

"Still in surgery," Gibbs told her quietly, not wanting to wake the others, "The doctor said they're taking care of her neck first. Once she rest a bit, and her vitals look good, they'll take her back and fix her wrist."

Ducky took a seat beside him, "That's probably wise. Considering how much blood she's lost, its best to give her a bit of a break in between." he glanced over at McGee, fighting hard to suppress a grin. His blood soaked clothes had been swapped for a pair of scrubs; they were hot pink, and at least two sizes too small, revealing a bit too much of his pale midriff, "Oh, poor Timothy. I bet our Anthony has been just merciless to him."

"Not as much as you'd think, Duck," Gibbs laughed. The ambiance in the room was a bit too somber for pranks and jeers.

A nurse came down from the back hallway, "Miss David's family?" she called

Abby ran over to the boys, shaking them awake, "Come on! Tony, Timmy, get up!" she tipped their seats, not an easy feat considering they each weighed about fifty pounds more than her. Even spilled from their seats, they slept on, "Lazy little..." she slapped the backs of their heads, waking them instantly

"I'm up!" Tony reported, looking around the room, "What's going on?"

* * *

AN: Mwahaha! I know, evil. Guilty as charged. Review please (no death threats!)?


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss David is out of surgery," the nurse informed them, "She's resting right now. Once her vitals look a little better, we'll get her wrist reset. An orthopedic surgeon is checking it, and he thinks he can get it taken care of pretty easily, and scheduled her for surgery in two hours."

Abby hauled McGee up off the floor where she'd dumped him out of his seat, "But she's going to be okay?"

"There was quite a bit of damage," the nurse handed Abby a small bag. Inside it was a large tooth, "We pulled that from her throat. The dog really tore her up. Her windpipe and esophagus were both damaged. She's going to need therapy to learn to eat comfortably, and maybe to learn to speak again."

Abby handed the tooth to Ducky, who looked it over, "Yes, it does look like a fit. Jethro was missing an upper canine."

"She can't talk?" Gibbs asked worriedly

"Not right now she can't. Her throat is all swollen and stitched up. She's on a respirator. The doctor figured it would be easier on her to sedate her and let the machines do the work for her, instead of putting a lot of stress on her. Its a miracle she's doing as well as she is. The bite missed her jugular by less than an inch," the nurse led them down the hall, "I hope they put that damn dog down."

"Already done." Tony told her happily, not caring how cold that sounded

"Tony!" McGee scolded, gesturing to a moping Abby, "That damn dog was her pet." as they walked, the tight pink scrubs repeatedly lodged themselves between his buttocks, and rode up with each step, revealing more midriff, "Damn it! How do people wear these things?"

"Don't worry McPoodle, they're very becoming." Tony took some footage with his phone of McGee picking at his backside, "Hey Abbs!" he showed her McGee's thirty seconds of fame, "Whaddaya think? New desktop wallpaper? Screensaver?" he offered

He finally got a smile out of her, "Wow...that's um, very nice McGee." the top of his "mom" tattoo was visible just above the low riding pants on his butt cheek, "It makes your butt look good!"

McGee examined his backside, "You think?"

Gibbs slapped both Tony and McGee on the head, and Abby on her rear, "You three done? We're in a hospital, remember that!"

Ducky chuckled, "Tony I think you should save that if I were you. I think Ziva could probably use some cheering up once she comes to!"

The nurse knocked on the door. When she heard no answer, she let them in, "Keep it short, and try to stay quiet. There are lots of patients trying to rest."

They all nodded, McGee and Abby zipped each other's lips. "Quiet as church mice, we promise!" Abby swore

"Alright," she nodded, "If you need anything, call." she left the group alone with their unconscious friend

Abby wandered over first, in a state of shock over what she saw. Her little pup did all of this? They couldn't see any of Ziva's throat, it was all wrapped in soft white bandages. It was probably a good thing they couldn't see the damage that lay underneath. Her wrist too was wrapped, very loosely at her side. "Oh, my God!" she instinctively ran to Ziva's side, ready to give her a hug

Gibbs placed a hand on her shoulder, "No hugs today, Abby."

"Okay." she sat down, trying to resist the impulse, "Can I hug you?"

"Do you ever need to ask?" he could barely finish the sentence before she enveloped him in her arms. "'Border-lined behavior' my ass." he chuckled, rocking her gently

Ducky looked over at the monitors, "Under the circumstances, she's doing quite well. The transfusions and fluids are probably helping with that." he checked the blood bag, draining into her arm, "I don't suppose any of you are type A negative?"

Abby bolted up excitedly, "Oh, me!" she raised her hand

"Well then, why don't you come with me, and we'll see if you can help our poor dear girl, shall we?" he knelt down and kissed Ziva's cheek, "We will be back shortly, dear. Don't go too far!" he joked

Abby cheerily locked arms with Ducky, "Come on, Ducky! Let's go before they let the cookies go stale."

McGee shook his head, "I don't know where she gets the energy."

"Probably the twenty CaffPows coursing through her system," Tony suggested, taking a seat beside Ziva's bed, "Think they'll let her give blood? Its probably half syrup!"

Gibbs laughed a bit, though it was forced, "Yeah, probably." he picked up Ziva's good hand, "Hey there. How ya doing?" he didn't expect an answer, but it just felt natural to talk to her

"I think she's waking up," McGee looked over at her monitors, both concerned and excited

"How can you make any sense out of that, McNerd? Its waves and beeps!" Tony was looking at the same thing as McGee, but the monitors told him nothing

"Her heart beat is getting faster, and her blood pressure's higher," he explained, ignoring Tony's comment, "I think that means she's waking up, but I'm not sure."

"This coming from the guy who read binary?" Tony leaned over Ziva, licking her cheek. She turned her head away from him, her brow furrowing in frustration, "Yeah, she's up."

Gibbs took a tissue and wiped her cheek, "Hey, Ziva. You okay? DiNozzo? Is she not miserable enough for you?" Gibbs smacked him, "What the hell was that for?"

"Paybacks are a bitch." he said simply.

Ziva glared at him, knowing exactly what he was talking about. She reached up with her good hand, tugging at the tubes, "No, you need to leave those in. At least for now." Gibbs told her, pushing her hand away

Reluctantly she lowered her hand. She looked around, grateful to see that she wasn't alone. McGee leaned over her, "Good to see you're up. Want me to go and get the doctor? Are you in any pain?" he felt a bit stupid for asking; she couldn't answer him, "Sorry. I'll go get someone."

Tony smiled at her, "Sorry about the rude awakening. I couldn't resist. Well, I could have, but didn't want to." he noticed a faint smile on her lips, "Hey, you want to see something funny?" she gave him a look, not sure if she wanted to know. That grin on his face rarely meant anything good. He turned down the lights so she could see a bit better, and showed her the footage. She tried to tell herself that this was cruel, unprofessional, and crass, but it was just too funny. She grinned, but not nearly as wide as Tony, "McPinkie's got a wedgie."

She looked at him and Gibbs with confusion, "A wedgie is when your underwear gets stuck in your butt crack." Gibbs clarified. She nodded in understanding, but the slightest movement made her tender neck ache. "You okay?" he asked, her misery not going unnoticed

McGee bolted into the room, a doctor in tow, "Are you feeling alright Miss David?" he asked kindly, "You shouldn't be awake just yet!" he took a look at her monitors, noticing her fast heartbeat, "Are you in any pain?"

She nodded, desperation clearly reflected in her eyes. A vial was quickly emptied into her IV, and within seconds she was unconscious again. Tony gently patted her cheek, "You asleep?" she lay motionless on the bed, a glazed look in her eyes, "Okay, that was quick. Is that normal?"

Her doctor nodded, "Morphine usually puts patients pretty out of it in less than a minute. Hopefully that will keep her subdued until she goes into surgery." he unwrapped her wrist, carefully cleaning the multiple puncture wounds, "Her vitals look great, so we can get her into the OR soon."

Gibbs cringed, seeing the mangled mess that was her wrist. Between that and her throat, it was no wonder she was on morphine. "When's she scheduled to go in?"

"At four." he told them, checking his watch, "Its only two thirty though...I think we'll move it up; she's doing well, and I don't want to wait any longer than we have to. Animal bites almost always get infected. She's on antibiotics, but we need to get this fixed up. Angela?" he called into the hallway

The nurse who'd escorted the group down to the room poked her head in, "Yeah?"

"Go see if we can get the OR prepped."


	4. Chapter 4

Ducky held Abby around the waist as they walked back to Ziva's room. Abby gave blood as often as was permitted by her doctor. She'd fudged it a bit this time; she'd given blood only a month earlier, but she figured this was a bit more important. "Ducky, I don't feel too good." she mumbled, munching on her cookie, which of course, was stale

"That is why you don't give blood any more frequently than about fifty days, dear," he stopped at the vending machine, buying her something to drink. He didn't think apple juice and a cookie were going to be enough for her. They didn't have her beverage of choice though, "Will you drink chocolate milk, or are you too addicted to your caffeine?"

"Chocolate is an absolute good, Ducky," she decided, knowing it was probably better for her anyways, "There's no problem on Earth that cannot be solved by chocolate!"

She drained the bottle quickly, before running over to the garbage to throw it back up, "Well, except that Abigail. I don't think chocolate is the best solution for that!" he patted her back, leading her to the drinking fountain to rinse her mouth, "I'm sure that Ziva will appreciate what you have done for her, but I don't think that she would want to see you do this to yourself. Perhaps you should tell someone about this?"

"No!" she snapped, "Its my dog's fault she got hurt! And she needs that blood, Ducky. She needs it more than I do."

Ducky sighed, holding the door open for her, "You didn't know, dear. There was nothing you could have done differently."

"How do you know?" she asked him, her eyes begging for an answer

"Because if you could have, you would have."

* * *

Ducky and Abby found the others sitting alone in Ziva's room. The bed where she'd been resting was now vacant. Abby worriedly ran up to Gibbs, "Gibbs? Where is she? What happened?"

"They took her into surgery to fix her wrist," Gibbs explained trying to calm her down, "The doctor said her vitals are good, and she was strong enough to have the surgery today. They even moved it up." he ran his hand soothingly along her arm, "She just went down a few minutes ago, so it might be a while."

Ducky sat with them, "That's reassuring. They would not have risked taking her back to surgery if she weren't doing well."

McGee came over ,wrapping Abby up in his arms, "She's fine. When she was awake, she seemed fine. She even made fun of me and Tony."

"Well," Tony thought about what to say for a second, "Making fun of you doesn't take that much energy. Me on the other hand, requires precision, cunning, wit..."

"All things you lack, DiNozzo," Gibbs teased

Tony glared at his boss, "Ha ha, very funny." he turned back to Abby, "She's doped up on morphine too, so she's not hurting or anything." he assured her

Abby nodded, not quite convinced, "Okay." she shakily rose from McGee's arms, in one of her squatting hugs, or 'squgs'. She stood too quickly, feeling lightheaded and dizzy. Reaching out to steady herself, she grabbed McGee's collar, gagging him

"Abby!" he rasped

"Sorry!" she let go, squeezing him tightly, before stopping abruptly "Which is easier to breathe? Being choked or squeezed?"

"Um...choked I guess?" he had no idea how to respond to that, but he knew that her hug, if nothing else, would make her feel better, "Are you okay Abbs? You seem a bit shaky." he worriedly gazed down at her

"Abigail gave blood only a month ago." Ducky sighed, "The poor girl insisted on donating though, fabricating medical documents and putting herself at risk."

"Abby..." Gibbs admonished gently, "Health before helping, okay? Ziva'll be fine; she's got doctors and nurses watching her every second. Worry about yourself, that's all you need to do." he knew the hardest thing for Abby to do was nothing. And even if it meant sacrificing her health, she'd gladly help a friend.

"Gibbs is right," Tony told her, "He usually is. That's probably why he hits us so much."

* * *

An hour later, Ziva was moved back into her room. The group stood up and happily greeted their unconscious friend. Her injured hand, now wrapped securely in soft padding, lay limp at her side. The doctor got her settled in before addressing the group, "Thankfully, nothing was broken. She did have some damaged tendons, and the tissue will take a few weeks to heal. It might take a few weeks or months, but she will probably regain full use of her hand."

Relieved, they stood over her bed, watching her sleep. Abby was ecstatic, "So, she's gonna be okay?" she asked hopefully

"Well, her hand should be. As for her throat, we just don't know yet," he explained, "There are too many variables right now. But she's doing pretty well considering all she's been through. She won't wake up for another hour or two at the earliest. Why don't you folks go home, get some rest."

"Nah, who need sleep?" Tony asked, giving Ziva a peck on the cheek, "She does, obviously. But we're good."

"I concur, but I really should get going," Ducky sighed, placing a get well card under Ziva's pillow, "I need to see if Jimmy has successfully finished his final essay. I promised I would help him with the subject; 'the effects of narcotics on one's metabolic rate'. I think he will do well, he needs to give himself a bit more credit. I hope you get better dear, and I will visit you first thing tomorrow."

McGee put an arm around Abby's shoulders, "See? She's okay." he held Ziva's uninjured hand, rubbing small, slow circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, "She's not in any pain, at least not now. The doctors are watching her round the clock, so if you want to get some sleep, I'll drive you home?" he offered, "You can't do much for her now anyways, plus you could use some down time."

"Yeah, maybe..." she considered the idea of going home to a nice warm casket, but at the same time she was reluctant to leave Ziva's side

"Abbs, go home," Gibbs ordered gently, "You're not doing her any good just standing there worrying. Go home, get some rest, and give yourself some time to recover." off of Abby's sad, pouty expression he added, "I'll call you once Ziva's awake."

"Okay, pinky swear?" she held out her hand to Gibbs, her pinky raised. Gibbs looked at her strangely for a moment, "Come on, Gibbs! Promise me!"

Gibbs chuckled, "We're not in kindergarten, Abby." he took her pinky anyway, giving it a firm, strong shake, "I swear."

* * *

Later that night, only Tony and Gibbs remained standing vigil at Ziva's bedside. She hadn't woken up yet, even now, three hours after coming out of surgery. They were beginning to worry, but kept telling themselves and each other that this was for the best, and that she needed every second of sleep she could get.

Gibbs stood up, stretching his legs out, "I'm going for coffee, you want some?" he offered. Tony looked at him incredulously. "Yeah, I just offered, do you want some or not?"

Tony nodded, "Sure, I could use a boost. I'll keep an eye on her until you get back."

"Don't bother," Gibbs hit the call button on the wall, "She's up."

Ziva was awake, if you could call it that. Her mind was still a bit hazy, and she felt weak and drained. She looked around the room, smiling when she realized she wasn't alone. She almost spoke, before remembering the dreaded tube down her throat. Instead, she simply waved at them.

Gibbs and Tony waved back, grateful to see her, "Morning, Ziva." Tony checked his watch, "11:59, almost morning." he corrected

Gibbs sat back down, deciding coffee could wait. He noticed her eyes watering a bit, "You sore?" she nodded eagerly in response, "We called for the doc, he'll be here soon." he promised her, wiping her tears away

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad's the pain?" Tony asked worriedly. She held out her thumb, "One. That's good, or at least not as bad as it could be."

Gibbs smacked him, "That's a ten, DiNozzo! She only has use of one hand, remember?" he walked briskly to the doorway, "Where's the damn doctor?"

Tony sat on the edge on her bed, "Hang in there," he wiped a few more tears from her eyes, "I know its bad, but just be strong for a minute, okay?" he felt a bit silly telling her this; since when was she anything but strong? He wiped away more tears, both hers and his, "It'll be okay, Ziva. Just hold on."

* * *

AN: Relax, I won't kill anyone...or will I? Mwahaha! I know, evil. Guilty as charged. Next chap will be up within the week (faster if you review)!


	5. Chapter 5

AN : I actually did my homework on this one! Most of my medical knowledge comes from Scrubs and MASH, so pardon any inaccuracies!

* * *

Abby sat alone down in her lab, which was quiet for once. She was flipping through the pictures she had on her computer. Specifically the ones of her and Jethro. She fought back tears, remembering the happy times she'd had in the short time she had him. A soft knock in the doorway startled her a bit, "McGee? What are you doing here?" her voice was soft, and lacked its usual energy

He walked in, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." he noticed her pictures, something she only looked at when she was depressed, "Hey, he's in a better place." he assured her, "Probably chasing winged angel bunnies, attacking deceased mailmen...Kate's probably looking after him for you." he noticed her smile a bit at that notion .He noticed a photo of an open field on her desk, "Is this where you're gonna bury him?"

"Yeah," she sniffed, "Next to Toni..."

"What?" McGee took a closer look, noticing there was a gravemarker in the corner, "I'm sorry, Abbs. When did she die?" he'd grown to love the little mutt. Not only did she treat him with more respect than most humans, she also despised Toni

"A little while after Kate," she sighed, remembering all those she'd lost too early, "When Kate didn't come home, she quit eating and drinking. She'd stay up all night, waiting for her to come back. After a couple days, I took her to the vet, and they put an IV in her." tears were now streaming down her cheeks, "her heart gave out the next day."

McGee wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry her eyes dry. It wasn't fair; Abby'd lost so much the week that Kate had died. She lost her best friend, her pet, and then Ziva came along...it wasn't hard to see why Abby was so hostile to her at first, "I'm so sorry, Abby. I didn't know." he rubbed his hand along her back, "It'll be okay though. Jethro's probably watching over you right now." he didn't know if there really was a heaven or hell, but it seemed to give Abby hope

"Yeah, at times I miss that sweet little bitch," Tony sighed, standing in the doorway

Abby stood up, running up to Tony, "Aw, I thought you hated her!" she wrapped him in a tight hug, "You're sweet! I can't believe you even remember Toni!"

"I wasn't talking about the dog, Abbs," he had expected, and deserved the punch on the arm he received

"Tony! Don't you talk about Kate like that!" she scolded, "Don't you have any respect for the dead?"

Tony held up his hands defensively, "Easy, Abbs. I didn't mean anything by it. Kate and I used to joke around all the time. Why do you think she named her bitch 'Toni'?"

McGee nodded, "He's right. They were like oil and water... Actually, more like sodium and water." Abby snickered, but Tony didn't get it, "Here, Mister Phis Ed Major," he rummaged through Abby's supply of chemicals, and found a block of sodium, "Watch this."

He cut a small piece of the soft material, and dropped it in a beaker full of water. After a few seconds, it began to fizz and smoke. The water in the beaker began to boil, heralding the arrival of a huge explosion which shattered the beaker, spraying hot water all over the lab.

"McGee!" Abby yelled, "Look what you did to my lab! Clean it up!"

"Sorry, I didn't think a piece that small would cause that much fallout," he grabbed the broom from the supply closet and swept up the broken glass, "Speaking of fallout, how's Ziva?" he asked Tony

"Not too good," Tony informed them sadly, "She was in a lot of pain, so they sedated her. They tried morphine, but she was still sore, even with that." he looked over at Abby's pictures, "Nice place. We invited?"

"Of course!" Abby hugged him tightly again, choking the air out of him, "He's being buried today at four, will you come?"

"Yeah, wouldn't miss it."

* * *

Abby wandered down to Autopsy, a place she despised most of the time, but today she was on a mission. She had the necessary papers to have Jethro released to the pet cemetery. "Ducky?" she called, "Are you down here?"

She found him down there, as usual totally engrossed in the task at hand. She looked on in horror as she realized what he was doing, "Ducky! What are you doing to him?!" she ran over, pushing Ducky away from her dog, who's skull was open on the Autopsy table, "Oh, my God, Jethro!" she whimpered

"Abigail, this is precisely why I did not tell you about this!" Ducky sighed in exasperation, covering up the dog, "I knew you would be upset over this whole ordeal." he tried to lead her away from the table, but she dug in her heels defiantly

"What are you doing to him? Why wouldn't you tell me?" the hurt shone in her eyes, "Ducky, I can handle this, what I can't handle is being lied to!"

He wished he could rub his eyes tiredly, but thought against it, seeing as his hands were still gory, "Abby, why don't you sit down, and I'll explain." she shook her head, "Alright, I'll just explain then." he removed the sheet concealing her pet, "Ziva has not been vaccinated against rabies, as most people aren't. However rabies would explain Jethro's irrational behavior, aggression, and refusal to obey commands."

"So...you're looking at his brain?" she turned away, revolted

"Abby, its the best way to tell. They will vaccinate Ziva as a precaution. I spoke with her physician, and he has already given her the first vaccine as well as rabies immune globulin, as an ounce of prevention. But if left untreated, its often fatal in humans. And a slow painful way to die at that. If he has swelling, it is possibly caused by the virus." Ducky carefully examined the dog's brain, checking for abnormalities, "Oh, what have we here?"

"Ducky, please tell me he didn't have rabies!" Abby begged, "McGee kept saying that he got a taste of human blood from him, and just went out for more. That's not true, right? Jethro wasn't rabid!"

"Abigail, don't worry," he assured her, "One- Jethro did not appear to have had rabies, and two- he didn't suffer. To be honest, it was a wonder he had any perception at all. Look here," he showed Abby a small area on his brain, "Do you see that piece of dark tissue?"

"Yeah, its kinda grossing me out," she turned away to keep from throwing up

"That, dear. Is a tumor. Judging by the size and location, he would have had days, weeks left if he was lucky. Its a small mercy that Ziva ended his life so short. He probably would have quit eating and drinking, not been able to walk, and his body would have shut down all together."

"So, it wasn't his fault? He just...kinda went crazy?"

"So it would appear."

* * *

Gibbs sat in the corner, quietly watching while a nurse changed Ziva's bandages. He was grateful that she was sleeping, and not suffering through this. The wounds, tiny as they were, pierced deep into her flesh, and had wreaked quite a bit of havoc on her body. It was no wonder she was in so much pain.

The nurse glanced over at him, "Are you family?"

"Yep," he nodded, sipping at his coffee; his seventh cup of the night

"Father, I'm guessing?" she asked, finishing Ziva's bandages

"Yeah, something like that," he moved back over near her bed, keeping watch over her

"Well, she's all patched up now," the nurse smiled, "Her wounds look good, or as good as wounds can. She'll probably come around within the hour, so keep a close eye on her. The pump's giving her the max dose of morphine, as often as it can be given safely, so hopefully she won't be in any pain."

"Good," he gripped her hand gently, "She's had enough of that."

"Oh, the coroner called. He said the dog did not appear to have rabies, but just to be safe we'll vaccinate her."

"Haven't you already done that?" he'd already had to help the nurses hold her down long enough to receive the vaccines, one in her hand near the wound, the other in her upper arm

"Its a series of shots. Days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28. So she gets some breaks in between," she turned down the lights, "Visiting hours are either over, or haven't started yet, depending on how you look at it. But as long as you keep it down, you can stay. Somehow, I don't think you're the type to cause too much trouble."

Gibbs simply smiled, watching the nurse leave. As soon as she shut the door, he called, "Abby, you can come in now!"

She stepped slowly into the room, "How'd you know I was there?" she asked, "Don't answer that! I want it to be a secret. Like when you're a kid, and you never really know how the guy at the fair always can guess your card, and you spend the rest of the summer trying to figure out how he did it?"

He smirked, half listening to her ranting, "Abby, you're babbling," Gibbs chuckled

"Sorry. Did you hear the news?" she asked timidly

"Kind of. I heard no rabies," he told her, "But I'm guessing there's more to it than that?" he always seemed to know these things. She had no idea how, other than the fact that he was Gibbs, but he always knew. Maybe it was the parent in him?

She lay her head down on his shoulder, "Jethro had cancer. Ducky found a tumor, like the size of a golf ball. He said it saw kind of a blessing that Ziva killed him. That way, he didn't spend his last days suffering."

He put an arm around her, "I'm sorry, Abbs. I know you loved that dog." he silently added, "_even though I'm not entirely convinced it was a very safe pet."_

"Yeah, McGee said Kate's probably taking care of him," she sniffled, "Why is it that everything I love dies?" she knew that he of all people would understand that feeling. The overwhelming sense of helplessness, grief, and remorse.

"I don't know," he told her honestly


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry for the long wait, I kind of forgot about this one...I'm working on my "forgotten fics" right now.

* * *

"Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby shook him awake, bouncing on her heels with excitement, "Gibbs, she's up, she's awake!"

Gibbs groaned, looking around a bit. He regretted having fallen asleep in one of those deep plastic chairs. His muscles ached as he sat upright. "Abbs, I get it." he glanced over at Ziva's still form, "No, she's not." he told Abby sadly, "Why don't you go home, get some rest yourself?"

"No, Gibbs!" Abby stood over Ziva, patting her cheek softly, "I saw her move, her hand twitched, and she looked at me!" she looked over at Gibbs pleadingly, trying to convince him that what she saw was real, "I'm not crazy, she was awake!"

Gibbs placed his hand on Abby's shoulder, "Well, maybe she was, but she's not now. The doc said it might be a while. Keep in mind she's drugged up pretty good." he was glad that she hadn't come around again, seeing as at least now she wasn't in pain.

"Wait, see?" Abby held up her hand, Ziva's laying in it loosely, "her fingertips moved! She grabbed my hand!" she grinned, gripping her friend tighter, "Come on, Ziva...you can do it!" she encouraged, crossing her fingers

"Hm?" Ziva's eyes opened, blinking slowly in the low light. "_Abby?"_ her voice was hoarse and weak, strained from fatigue and pain

"No, you shouldn't talk," Abby admonished gently, sitting down on the bed beside her, "I'm not going to hug you, even though I really, really want to, because I really, really don't want to hurt you. And I probably would, even though I really, really didn't want to."

"Really?" Gibbs asked, grinning, "Abbs, go run and get her doctor, will ya?"

"On it!" she bolted up and down the hall, nearly colliding with an orderly on her way out, "Sorry!" she yelled behind her, still running at full speed down the hallucinating

Sighing and shaking his head, Gibbs picked up Ziva's good hand, "Okay, can you squeeze my hand?" he asked, helping her fingers curl around his hand. She managed to grasp his hand lightly, surprising herself with how much effort it took, "Good. Squeeze once for 'yes', twice for 'no'; you in any pain?"

She squeezed his hand lightly, with less force than before. "A little?" he asked, feeling her respond 'yes' again, "We'll get that taken care of, don't you worry." he rubbed his thumb in light circles on the back of her hand, "Abby's probably half-way to China by now, seeing if they have an instant cure for ya." he smiled, looking out the little window at Abby, half-dragging the doctor into the room, talking and walking at full speed

"Good morning, Ziva," the doctor smiled, checking her monitors, "You really shouldn't be awake yet, but from the looks of things, you'll be back asleep soon." he pressed a button on a machine near her IV stand, "if you get feeling sore at any time, just push that little button, okay? That'll give you something strong for the pain, probably more often than you'll really need it." he placed another button near her hand, "And if you need anything, that's the call button. Push that and someone will come to check up on you, alright?"

She nodded slowly, trying not to tear at her sore throat.

"Good. Now try to get some rest okay?" he pulled an extra blanket over her, covering her to the shoulders, "Your friends can stay a little longer, but only if they don't keep you awake."

Abby took a step back, appalled, "Would we really keep you up? Us? We're like, angels!"

"Right..." the doctor said sarcastically, "I'll be back to check on you in a half hour."

* * *

Gibbs rubbed his temple tiredly, offering his hand back to Ziva, "Feeling any better?"

_'Yes'_

"Good," he nodded, "Not that that would take much, but still."

Abby sat back down on the bed beside her, "I'm glad. You want some good news though?"

_'Yes' _Gibbs nodded, translating for her

"The doctor said that the damage to your throat wasn't as bad as they thought," she told Ziva excitedly, "I mean, its still kinda bad, and you're probably still going to be hurting for a while, but you'll be able to talk again!" she was now bouncing on the bed, Gibbs' hand on her shoulder to keep her steady

Ziva managed a weak smile. While the news was good, she was enjoying Abby's enthusiasm more. Abby was their resident optimist; always finding the light in the dark. It wasn't fair that awful things happened to good people, "_Abby? I am sorry."_ she managed before hacking violently

Gibbs helped Ziva to sit up, rubbing a hand along her back, "What did we say about talking? That would be the main reason why." he pushed the call button, signaling for help

Abby couldn't resist any more. She threw her arms around her friend, squeezing her as tightly as she dared, "No, Ziva! You shouldn't feel bad about that!"

"Abby, no!" Gibbs peeled her off, scooping her up off the bed so that one of the nurses could access her patient

"Okay, Ziva...just breathe," the nurse soothed, fitting an oxygen mask over her face, "I know its hard, but just try to even things out, and relax..." she slipped a vial of some strange drug into Ziva's IV line, "This will help, alright? Just give it a sec here..."

Ziva nodded, feeling the burning in her throat subside. From over the nurse's shoulder, she could see Abby and Gibbs' concerned gazes glued on her still.

"That should do it," the nurse smiled, watching the monitors as her vitals stabilized, "Let me guess, you tried to talk?" she chuckled, seeing Ziva's baffled look, "I thought so; you're not the first stubborn patient I've dealt with. Its not uncommon for people to push themselves too hard and too fast after this sort of an injury. Trust me sweetheart, if you rest up now, you'll be feeling better a lot faster than if you push yourself. Do you want to be back on your feet in weeks or months?" she turned to Gibbs and Abby, watching with worry, "She probably just pulled at something wrong trying to talk. With the stitches and everything, she just agitated it. She'll be fine."

"Thank you!" Abby tackled the older woman, locking her in a vice-like grip

"Don't mention it, just let me breathe!" the nurse laughed, shoving Abby away gently

Once things had quieted down a bit, Abby put her arms around Ziva again, this time more gently. She could feel Ziva tense a bit at first, but she eventually relaxed into it, "Ziva, if anything, I should thank you. Jethro...he was my friend, you know? But he was sick..." she had tears streaming down her cheeks now, but she didn't seem to care, "Ducky said that if he hadn't died, he just would have gotten worse and worse...he didn't suffer."

"You did what you had to," Gibbs assured Ziva, trying to put her conscience at ease

"Ducky said you did him a favor," Abby sniffled, "There wasn't anything that anyone could have done for him. It wasn't really his time, but I'm kind of glad it was."

Ziva nodded, placing her good arm supportively around Abby, who was still clinging to her. Gibbs smiled, "Abbs, she really needs to rest. Plus, we've got plans, remember?"

Abby solemnly nodded, "I remember," off Ziva's puzzled look she added, "We're burying Jethro this afternoon. We found him a nice place to rest." she showed Ziva the picture of the grave site, "Pretty, huh?

Ziva smiled and nodded in agreement, returning the picture.

"We need to go if we're gonna make it," Gibbs pointed out, checking the clock, "Its already 1300. Abbs, say goodbye." he tousled Ziva's hair, "Be back to check up on you later. No more surprises, you hear me?"


	7. Chapter 7

AN: I know it's been a while since I updated, sorry!

* * *

"Hey, you holding up okay?" McGee ventured cautiously, placing a hand on Abby's shoulder. For the past hour, she'd been staring blankly at the freshly filled grave, a dozen or so flowers laid gently on top.

"He's gone, Timmy. Jethro's gone," she sighed, it finally sinking in.

"He didn't suffer though, right? Ducky said he died peacefully," Tony reminded her, giving her a little hug which for once she didn't return.

Abby rolled her eyes, "Ducky'll say anything! He's too nice!"

"But he'd never lie to you," McGee pointed out, "Never has, never will."

She shifted uncomfortably, knowing they were right. "Yeah...and Ziva wouldn't do that to him. I mean, she was trained to kill, but a puppy?" Tony and McGee exchanged glances, neither of them really sure if they'd classify Jethro as a "puppy". She leaned against McGee, letting him put an arm around her, "She probably did it so fast, he didn't know it. Plus, with the tumor, he probably didn't even know what happened. One minute, he's taking a walk, the next he's chasing little squirrel angels and biting angel mailmen."

"Yeah, I can picture that." Tony smiled.

* * *

"Knock knock?" Tony stood in the doorway, peering in to see if Ziva was awake.

She was making progress, and was now able to speak a little, though she spent most of her time sleeping. Thankfully, the damage was healing, though slowly.

"Come in," a foreign voice called, "She is asleep now."

"Okay..." the group entered quietly, grabbing chairs around Ziva's bed. The team had surrounded her bedside so frequently, the nurses always left a few extra chairs in her room. Tony glanced over at the man standing in the corner. He watched Ziva lovingly, but he seemed like the kind of man you wouldn't want to cross. "And you are?" he prompted.

"Eli David," he did not extend his hand in greeting, or even move from his corner, shrouded in shadow.

"Are you her dad?" Abby asked the question everyone was wondering, but didn't dare ask. Leave it to Abby to blurt out what she had on her mind.

"I am her father," he answered. Not her dad, her father.

"_Eli!"_ Officer Bashan called from the hallway. He spoke quietly to his boss in their native tongue, trying to keep some discretion. David nodded, following Bashan out of the room. Closing the door behind him, Bashan told them, "Do not mind Director David. He tends to get a bit...how shall I put this...possessive? He'll leave you alone to visit for a moment. He will not bother you as long as you do not bother him or Ziva."

"Appreciate it, Officer Bashan," Gibbs said.

Abby sat down on the edge of Ziva's bed, picking up her hand. Trying to make her feel more like herself again, the other day she'd painted Ziva's nails for her. The only color Abby had handy was black. It was a look that didn't suit everyone, but for Ziva, it worked. "Hey, you awake?"

"Is he gone?" Ziva murmured, glancing around the room tiredly.

"Who, your dad?" McGee peeked through the narrow glass window, "Yeah, apparently he and Officer Bashan aren't getting along too well."

Ziva chuckled a bit, "No one gets along with my father...not really." she rubbed at her throat, which was sore and dry still. She had to pause to take a breath between her words, which came out soft and mumbled.

Ducky brought her a glass of water, "Here, sip on that; it will help your throat." he helped her sit up and adjusted her bed for her, making it easier for her to drink, "I heard your doctor say that you are going to be moved out of the ICU tomorrow. Another few day's rest and you'll be ready to go home."

"If I have a home...to return to," Ziva noted bleakly, "Director Vance intends to....split up the team...yes?"

"No, no, no," Abby gripped Ziva tightly, causing her to cry out in pain, "Sorry, sorry, sorry! Nothing's going right today. First I couldn't find the right dress I wanted to wear, then at the-"

"Abby, let go. She's still not feeling too good," Gibbs gently pulled Abby off of Ziva, "Vance isn't sending you back. Apparently Mossad only wanted you back for one assignment, but since you physically can't do it, you get to stay."

Ziva breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

"Abby, why don't you go and get her something to eat?" Ducky suggested, "Seeing as you haven't eaten solid foods in about a week now, I'm guessing you'd like a little snack?" Ziva nodded eagerly, though obviously growing weary, "If I recall, the hospital has a rather nice stock of ice cream."

"I'll bring a little of everything!" Abby announced, "Or at least everything I can carry. I'll be back fast, so don't you_ dare_ fall asleep on me Ziva!"

Ziva smiled, trying to stay awake. As much as she wanted to rest, she wouldn't fall asleep on Abby. Ducky shook his head, "She doesn't mean to be so abrupt, that is, more so than usual. Today was Jethro's funeral."

"Oh," she sipped at her water. Though she was grateful to have her friends gathered to see her, the exertion of simple speech combined with her stress and guilt was almost too much, "With Abby...I could not tell." she looked around at the others, all dressed in black. How had she forgotten?

"Yeah, kind of hard to tell, huh?" Gibbs smiled. "She sleeps in a funeral gown, Ziva."

"Yes, I should have remembered...it was today." she muttered, a bit embarrassed.

Tony shrugged, "She won't be upset. I mean, this is Abby we're talking about- she still remembers they day I took the last Hershey bar in the vending machine- but she's too nice to hold grudges. At least against you. Now McGee on the other hand, Mister 'spilled-CaffPow!-on-her-favorite-voodoo-doll'..."

"I suppose," she shifted in her bed a little, trying to make herself comfortable, a feat which she'd almost given up on.

"To err is human, to forgive divine," Ducky reminded her, "Of course, with Jethro- our Jethro, not Abby's late companion- he would say that neither of which is Marine Corps policy."

"Damn straight," Gibbs nodded, "Thankfully Abby's not a Marine. She'd make one God awful Marine...Kind of scary to think about."

"I resent that!" Abby stood in the doorway, glaring at Gibbs, "No ice cream for you!" she announced, handing out a bowl to everyone else, letting Ziva have first pick of course.

Ziva smiled, taking two bowls and handing the other to Gibbs, which Abby took back immediately, "No. Gibbs doesn't get any."

"Come on, Abby!" he chuckled, "You salute with your left hand, have serious issues with authority, refuse to wear what you're told to, and don't play nicely with others. You honestly want to convince me that you'd make a decent Marine?"

"Yes. No. Maybe?" Abby handed him back his ice cream, "Yeah, I'd hate it."


End file.
